Chapter 3 disguise

  [Akiro Hiroto invites you to his party]

                   [Do you accept?]

                         [ Yes / No]

Ayama pressed the floating screen’s ‘yes’ option.

Priest Sebastian looked at Akiro, “It’s your turn.”

A status board flashed up from the blue orb.

________________________________________________

Name: Akiro Hiroto

Age: 18

Job: Thief

Sub Job: none

ATK: 60

DEX: 90

SPD: 96

DEF: 13

INT:  67

MANA: 20

Skills:          Rank:

Dash              B

Backstab       C

Info:

Thief, a common class, can spot traps and has high dexterity but low defense.

_______________________________________________

Ayama covered his mouth, “Pft- hahaha..ha.”

The King flashed disgust before composing himself.“Why is it… average? Unlike the others, this is very unfavorable,” he thought.

“Hahahahaha!” Masashi guffawed when he saw Akiro’s stats. “What's with your stats Akiro? It's garbage hahaha!”

“Ahem!” the Priest interrupted. “Next one, please.”

________________________________________________

Name: Ayama Nobu

Age: 18

Job: knight

Sub Job: none

ATK: 70

STR: 85

DEX: 30

SPD: 25

DEF: 65

INT:  30

MANA: 12

Skills: None    Rank: None

________________________________________________

“I'm absolutely speechless... These two are ordinary unlike the others,” the King muttered.

“Hahahaha!! Even his only friend’s stats are ***!!!”

Many other students followed in Masashi’s laughter.

Ayama and Akiro were pissed for being made fun off but it was done with caution.

“What the hell, dude! What happened to my stats?!” Ayama shrieked.

Akiro quickly came beside him and whispered, “I used a skill, [Disguise]. Having such overpowered stats displaced could have placed a target on our backs. Y'know Masahi's group, since from school, he'd always picking on people like us or rather.... me.”

“That's true, but now what?”

“Now we wait and see what the King will do. In the meantime let's hone our real skills in secret. I believe we have a week before our training.”

“Well that sounds perfect but you need to practice in secret cuz you’re recognized as a ‘thief,’ not an ‘assassin.’”

“I guess that’s true.”

“Oh, also, I asked the chief of the guard to train me, and he happily agreed surprisingly enough. He is so damn handsome; I'm jealous.”

“Wow, a mentor already? Damn!”

“Yep, lucky me!”

Akira ran around the outskirts of the town looking for a secluded place. When he found one, he used [Status] without [Disguise] to see his actual stats.

“This seems like a good spot. Now, let’s see… [Actual Status]!”

________________________________________________

Name: Akiro Hiroto

Age: 18

Job: Assassin

Sub Job: Gunman

ATK: 97

STR: 56

DEX: 93

SPD: 89

DEF: 15

INT:  86

MANA: 100

Skills:                        rank:

Stealth.                        S

Weapon master           A

Group disguise buff    A

Dash.                          A

Gun arts.                     B

Speed buff.                 B

Backstab.                    C

Throwing.                   D

Vital strike.                 D

Appraisal                    F

Info:

Assassin is a legendary class with high dexterity, speed, and attack strength. The downside is the higher these statuses are the lower defense and strength become and vice versa.

The gunman is a unique class to another world. This class utilizes the weaponry of the world where he was summoned from. Not much info can be given to this class for it is unique.

________________________________________________

“Woah, what’s this? [Dash]? Let’s try it!” His excitement got the best of him, and he ran face-first into a tree; Because of this, he was unconscious for a few hours. What an idiot.

Later in the castle, a feast was taking place.

Tomigura Takumi, the Ice Mage, exhaled, “Yessss~~ I'm in another world! Like the shojo manga, I love to read! Ehehehehehehrh' although their personalities are trash they are quite proactive~”

Onishi Akiko, the Paladin, repulsed,  “Urgh so gross~ Tomigura creeps me out so much! Yuck!”

“Don't mind him, Akiko. Nerds are always creepy,” Sasawa Yaso, the Archer, commented.

Matsumura Shigeko, the Priest, started slapping Tomigura, “Stay away from me you, creep!!”

“Cut it out all of you!!” Kenji Hinote, the Tanker, scolded.

“Give it a rest Kenji,” Yamazaki Toshiyuki, the Martial Artist, appeased, “they won't settle down no matter how much you try.”

“Don't waste your breath, Yamazaki-san,” Nishimura Hitomi advised, “Kenji won't listen, let alone stop.”

“Hahaha, that's true! He never does,” Hashimoto Mari, the Magic Gunner reacted.”

Okuda Keiichi, the Earth Mage, suddenly started freaking out, “Why is this happening to me!!?” Tears flowed from his eyes.

“Yosh, yosh, Keiichi. Be calm. Deep breaths, deep breaths,” Isa Tsukiko, the Healer, comforted.

Yastuke Kanji, butted in, “Haaaaa~ I've been stressed out. Suddenly being in another world you don’t know anything about. Good thing we are actually strong. But, that won’t matter if you don’t know how to survive.”

“It's OK, Kanji-kun,” assured Takeshita Eri, the Fire Mage, “we'll all be fine.”

Shimizu Sango, another Healer, cried out, “Waaahh~! Eri-chan, I'm so scared…”

Haruto Itsuki, the High Knight, took this chance to Shimizu, “You'll be fine. I'll protect you, Sango-chan!”

Tahara Maki, the Wind Mage, scolded, “Haruto, now’s not the time to be hitting on Shimizu-san!”

“I–I–I'm not hitting on her!” he blushed.

Tahara Katsumi, the Lightning Mage sneered, “You totally were. ITwas as big sis said!”

“I–I'm t–telling you, I'm not hitting on her!”

Hamasuki Masashi, the Berserker, rudely intruded in the middle of the group, “Out of the way weaklings! Make way for the strong, plebs!”

Teramoto Toshio, the Ninja, found this crude. “Jerk! What’s wrong with you!?”

Furutani Ryuta, the Tamer, “Don't waste your life. He's stronger than us.”

“Yeah he's right,” Matsuoko Rei, the Alchemist, concurred, “If we fight him, we'll get destroyed.

Kagiwara Tsukiko, “I know your feeling. I hate him with all my guts too! But it would only cause us pain if we fight him.”

“But, but” Toshio reconsidered and clicked his tongue, “Fine!”

“That's right! Know your places, trash!” Masashi yelled before he left them.

The door to the banquet hall opened and Ayama peeked into the room.

Ayama, who was using [Disguise] as a knight, observed, “A lot is going on in this room–yikes… Hmm, where’s Akiro?”

Masashi, who was with him, added in, “He's probably dead.” He laughed. He’s soooo weak too. I mean look at his stats! Well, it’s not as if you’re any stronger.”

As Masashi was saying this, Akiro walked into the hall while eating some… skewer?

Akiro saw them and spoke, “Sorry I'm late. I was exploring the town.”

“Ah, there you are. I've been looking for you everywhere,” Ayama said.

“Well, to be frank, I was practicing my [Dash] skill while exploring the town. Hehehe, I got a bit hungry because of it.

“If you were using a skill,  wouldn't you use mana instead?”

“You know I thought about that too, but maybe my [Dash] ‘skill’ is more of a physical boost by using my body's energy. Y'know, like metabolism.”

Ayama pondered, “I mean it's an interesting hypothesis, but maybe it's just maybe ‘cuz you eat too much at mealtimes.”

Akiro couldn't refute him, “Uhm, err… maybe. He chuckled.

The King arrived at the hall after everybody settled down. He spoke in a big voice, “Hello, summoned heroes! I hope you are enjoying the feast held in your honor. But first, let's get down to business. You need to train vigorously to defeat the Demon King!”

The class replied in unison, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

“You will train together with our kingdom’s military officers within your respective classes and abilities.”

Shinohara Mitsuko, the Light Mage, asked, “Your Majesty, how will the training period be?”

“Good question, child. We’ll be training you for three months. No need to rush. We can only bring up strength with time.”

She nodded in satisfaction, “Thank you, Your Majesty. We will do our very best!”

Their reactions delighted the King. “That's the spirit, child. Ahhh… what youth reminds me of when I was your age.”

Sitting beside the King, sat his Queen, who sulked when the King praised a younger woman.

Sensing this, the King comforted her, “Don't be like that dear. I was only complimenting this young lady for her eager spirit. Please don't be mad.”

Everyone laughed at the sight.

“Ahem! As I was saying, you’ll be training with our country's military officers in your respective class of type. I will now introduce them.”

A familiar man in sanctified sacraments appeared.

“Hello again young ones. I am in charge of the healer’s training. Please follow me when I call you. Tsukiko and Sango.  The Paladin, Akiko. Then Priestesses, Matsumura. Come.”

A beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure followed, she was wearing a robe and sported glasses. She was carrying books.

“Hurry up old man! I have deadlines after this,” she hurried.

“Patience, I pray.” A knight clad in black shushed.  He took off his helmet revealing a dashing, manly face—a young man in his mid-twenties.

“Pardon my disturbance. I am Chief Knight, Kaiser Vanlugard, and this is my fiance,  I'm so–”

“Hey! I'm the Chief Magician! Address appropriately to these brats!”

“Yes, yes, my dear. Now pray stop yelling,” he whispered.

Turning to the students, he cleared his throat, “Ahem! As I have said, I am the Chief Knight instructing all the melee fighters in training. Please follow me, Yasutake, Sasawasa, Toshiyuki, Hitomi, Itsuki, Masashi, Toshio, Furutani, Nobu, and Hiroto. We have several fighters. I will train you to the best of my abilities and prepare you for the fight against the demons.” He announced this with a friendly and calm smile on his face. A face any woman would fall for.

The Chief Magician was visibly distracted. “A–and I am the Chief Magician—8th-Tier Grand Magician—Olivia Albion. I am leading the following to the Wizard Tower: Takumi, Hashimoto, Keiichi, Katsumi, Rei, Tsukiko, Mitsuko, and lastly, Rei. Now those I have called, follow me! I’m busy!”

The three groups separated upon exiting the banquet hall.

While walking to the training grounds, the melee fighters stared in awe at the castle's interior. The Palace’s hallway sparkled with bright embroidery and engravings, which signified the Royalty’s wealth.

Suddenly, the Knight Kaiser apologized.

“What for?” Ayama asked.

“Due to our kingdom's weakened military

state and the sudden appearance of stronger demons on the front lines, we had to summon you. I'm truly sorry for this. You, who have no part in our battles, were roped in from your life free from fighting.”

Kenji shook his head, “Don't worry about it, Sir Knight. Well, it may be true that we are not part of this, but we still want to help!”

Akiro and Ayama rolled their eyes simultaneously and muttered, “You probably do, but I don't.”

Kaiser beamed happiness, “Really? Thank you very much.”

Ayama interjected, “Oh, how did you and the Chief Magician meet? Hm… you did say she was your fiancé.”

Kaiser was surprised, “Oh I did? Oh yeah, I did!” He chuckled.

Ayama cooed, “You made her blush pretty hard back there, prince charming.”

Kaiser scratched his head, “That–that was not my intention. We met in the Academy of Earlshide. Back then I was a commoner; I was in the knight scholarship course, and in the distance were the nobles in the magic course. That was where I first saw her. Our eyes met and it was… magic.”

At the same time, the mages following Miss Olivia were also having the same conversation with Eri asking, “Miss Olivia, where did you meet Sir Kaiser?”

After hearing this, the dignified face of the Chief Magician started to turn beet red. Steam rose from her head. “W–w–why do you w–want to know?!?” she stammered in a whisper.

Eri shrugged, “I was just curious… Seeing your adorable reactions earlier piqued my interest. Maybe you saw something a bit naughty? Hm? Hihihi~!”

Olivia, now visibly blushing, panicked in embarrassment. “S–Stop with such embarrassing questions!”

Maki drawled playfully, “Ehhh~? why not? Your kingdom summoned us to fight for them, are we wrong? So the least you could do is answer a few questions~”

“T–That's unfair!!”

Takumi nodded conclusively, “That confirms our suspicions. How naughty~!”

“Noooo! I swear!!”

________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Chief Knight Kaiser and his students arrived at the training grounds.

Masashi whistled, “Oh, it's quite spacious.”

“Of course, this is where we are to train you kids.”

“Don't lump me in with them! I'm nineteen!”

Kaiser pondered for a moment, “Ah, in this world, being 16 years old, counts as an adult. Indeed, you’re all full-fledged adults!”

He branched from the group and told us to sit down.

“So to begin our exercise, I will test the waters for a bit.”

Toshio raised his hand, “What do you mean by ‘test the waters’?”

“By that I mean, I will fight you in pairs and test you so that I will figure out the training regimen for each one of you.”

“In pairs?” Masashi whined.

“To be blunt, you are lacking strength. That’s not to say your classes are weak, but you lack expe–”

Masashi suddenly rushed the Knight in a fit of anger for his pride was hurt by the knight's remark. “[Bull Rush]!!”

Masashi used a skill named [Bull Rush]. Masashi's class fits his large, tall build. The skill maximizes the speed of the user, building momentum to ram into the target.

“Easy there, I didn't mean to hurt your pride but if inexperienced fighters, such as yourself, fight experienced fighters you'll lose.”

“Shut up!!” Masashi yelled.

Kaiser sighed, “Youth…”

Kaiser shook his head and grabbed his crossed arms adroitly then flipped him. Because of this Masshi launched himself into a wall leaving a crack akin to a cannonball

“Patience and a cool-level head are what a fighter needs in battle, or else you'll die.”

Masashi was knocked unconscious on the grass of the training ground.

Everyone present was shocked; their jaws stooping in awe because Masashi, the class buff, has been defeated.

Toshimoto saw a shelf filled with swords of various shapes and sizes. He chose a curved blade similar to a katana.

“Good choice, young lady. Your class is ‘Ninja’ isn’t it?”

“Yes, Sir Knight. On that note may I fight you with Kenji?”

“As you wish,” he smiled.

“Yes!” Kenji was eager. “Toshimoto-san, let's proceed as planned!” He equipped a shield.

“You two are quite prepared,” remarked Kaiser.

“Of course. Running into battle without a plan is a suicide,” she replied.

“As expected of the heroes. Come, let’s duel!”

“Ooooohhhrrrraaaa!!!” Toshimoto and Kenji yelled as they charged Kaiser head-on.

“Beautiful combination. That’s the spirit!”

Kaiser readied his rapier, “But your spirit’s simply not enough–”

And invoked a skill, “[******]!”

Kenji blocked the Kaiser's attack on time, his ****** attack, but the attack was simply too strong knocking him a distance. Kenji saw an opportunity to attack, but he knew he couldn’t take it. He glanced at Toshimoto and yelled, “Now, Toshimoto!!”

Kenji made way for Toshimoto as she invoked a skill, “[Slash]!!”

“Splendid!” the Kaiser remarked. “But naive! [Parry], [******]!” Kaiser’s counterattack would land on her solar plexus, but Kaiser pulled away before hitting her.

Kenji saw his opening and thus used “[Shield Bash]!”

But the Kaiser smiled. “Superb timing, but your roles are reversed. The Tanker should be making the opening and not the Dealers.”

Kaiser jumped on top of Kenji's shield and did an awesome backflip above Kenji. Upon landing, he laid his rapier beside Kenji's neck.

Kenji then dropped his shield and put up his hands in defeat. “I forfeit.”

“Uhm,” Sasawa called for attention, “Sir Knight, may I ask forfeit now?”

“Sasawa Yaso of the Archer class…” he glared at her.

“Y–yes sir?”

“I’m displeased, but seeing your intelligence to retreat, I'll allow it.”

“Ah, may I also request the same?” Ryuta followed.

“A Tamer, if I’m not mistaken. Then you too are allowed.”

But Haruto wasn’t intimidated enough to forfeit. “Sir, may I be next?”

“With pleasure.”

Kaiser and Haruto chose their weapons of choice at the weapon rack.

Coincidentally, they chose the same set of equipment—a shortsword and a shield.

“A High Knight, isn’t it?”

“That is correct, sir.”

Kaiser smirked, “I, too, have the class, High Knight. I hope to have an enjoyable match with you.”

Kaiser and Haruto, both in anticipation of each other’s first strike. Later, Haruto decided to make the first move.

“[Knight’s Morale]!”

“Starting with a buff? To make up for his inexperience, he used an advantageous effect... Brilliant, just brilliant!”

The knights exchanged blows mirroring each other with parries, thrusts, and shield blocks. Although in a battle of attrition, the battle-hardened fighter lasted longer.

Haruto panted as he retreated from Kaiser, “I–I give… up… gugh.”

Kaiser was panting, but not as much as he. “You did well young lad. Although you lost, the choice of buffing yourself before the fight began was an outstanding plan, but when the buff ran out, you lost. Therefore, you must train harder.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you for your guidance.”

Kaiser turned to the spectators, “Who’s next?”

Toshiyuki and Hitomi stood up and volunteered to be next. Toshiyuki, a martial artist, chose some gauntlets. Hitomi chose the same weapon Toshio used. Upon seeing their choice of weapons, Kaiser removed the chest plate of his armor and some leg armor pieces.

“Uhm, sir, why are you removing your armor?” Hitomi asked.

“You both are Samurai and Martial Artist, aren’t you? When fighting speed and power-oriented opponents, having heavy armor will be a disadvantage.”

“We almost had him. Now, we’re screwed,” Toshiyuki whispered.

The duel between Hitomi and Kaiser ended quickly after the Chief Knight disarmed Hitomi. Toshiyuki was the remaining fighter and wavered in fear.

“If you don't come to me, I'll come to you.” Kaiser charged at Toshiyuki. Panicking, Toshiyuki invoked a skill, “[Trance]!!”

[Trance] was a skill that placed the user into a trance of utmost concentration. In this state, the user will not feel fear nor be affected by minor debuffs.

Kaiser was caught off guard because Toshiyuki's aura changed. He was not scared anymore but focused. The flurry of punches that Toshiyuki launched at the Chief Knight was plentiful as they were fast.

Everyone spectating was shocked to see the Cheif Knight blocking attacks. He was only parrying attacks up until this point, But after a few seconds, the Chief Knight threw a clean left hook knocking Toshiyuki out of his [Trance].

“Splendidly done, young man! I was caught off guard. You drew me in and instantly used a skill to catch me!”

Though, Toshiyuki didn’t intend to.

Akiro and Ayama lastly volunteered. It was about three in the afternoon and the sun had already set. The magic-powered floodlights illuminated the grounds.

Being this late most of the spectators who finished their fight left to eat dinner in the Royal Palace, leaving the Chief knight and the two alone.

“You shall be my last battle, Akiro, and Ayama. I noticed you observing my prior fights.”

“We were,” Akiro confirmed.

“It seems that I should be more cautious and precise, shouldn’t I?”

“Sir Knight, you have the [Appraisal] skill, don't you?” Ayama asked.

“Oh, you noticed? Indeed, I have it at level ‘A.’”

“So, you know our true classes?”

“With no mistake, I do.” Kaiser took a deep breath. “Ayama is a [Hero] and Akiro is an [Assassin]. In a world that is not your own, you instinctively hid your true class for safety, or have I mistaken?”

“You’re correct, sir. Now, what will you do?”

“Depends on how you two do in our bout.”

“If that's the case, sir,” Akiro paused, “we will try our hardest.”

“In respect for your determination, I shall do the same.”

Akiro and Ayama proceeded to the weapon rack and picked out their weapons and armor. The Chief Knight equipped the armor he removed earlier.

Akiro chose light leather armor and two wooden daggers and a few throwing stars. Ayama chose a wooden longsword and a medium-sized shield along with thick armor.

Kaiser fell in thought, “Why would these two hide such classes? They wouldn't have had to deal with the ridicule and mockery of their classmates. There must have been a reason other than instinct.”

“Are you ready now?” Kaiser asked.

“We are!” they shouted in unison.

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